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Archive for the ‘Rum Reviews’ Category

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24 Days of Rum (#1) – Mount Gay 1703 Reserve Cask XO (Barbados)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 1, 2019

My 24 Days of Rum begins with quite a bang with the highly regarded Mount Gay 1703 XO Reserve Cask Rum from Barbados.

Mount Gay 1703 XO is produced in a using a combination of both column and traditional copper pot stills. The rum is matured in American oak barrels which were previously used to age whiskey or Kentucky bourbon. This is a blended spirit consisting of a wide range of rums of various ages some reputed to be as old as 15 years.

Here is a link to my tasting notes and scores for the First spirit in the 24 Days of Rum – The Original Rum Tasting Box:

Review: Mount Gay 1703 XO Reserve Cask Rum

” … Oak spice, treacle and molasses as well as firm baking spices (vanilla, cinnamon and clove). Roasted marshmallow, coffee and cocoa. Fruity with canned apricots and orange marmalade. Herbal notes from the pot still  are obvious as well …”

It is safe to say that we are off to a great start with the 24 Days of Rum Advent Calendar. Let’s hope tomorrow treats us as well.

Note: 24 Days of Rum – The Original Rum Tasting Box produced by 1423 World Class Spirits contains 24 handpicked rums from 24 different countries all over the world. It features an extraordinary opportunity to sample a wide variety of premium rums allowing you to hone in on the particular style which suits your palate. As indicated in my previously published review (here) This Rum Advent Calendar is a highly recommended gift for the rum enthusiast.

 

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Review: Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez (10 Years Old)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 27, 2019

In 1862, Facundo Bacardi and his brother José bought the Santiago de Cuba Distillery and began to distill what would become the most popular commercial rum in the world. Using a method of charcoal filtering, and oak barrel aging  along with a still of copper and cast iron, Facundo Bacardi created a smoother more refined version of the locally made rum. His smoother version of the spirit became local favourite, and over time, an international sensation. Of course, Bacardi Rum is not made in Cuba anymore, the Ron Bacardi Company left Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro’s plans to nationalize all private property and privately held bank accounts on the Island. The Bacardi family moved important trademarks out of Cuba, and using a Bacardi owned plant built in Puerto Rico, were able to continue to build their company. Bacardi is now the largest family owned spirits company in the world.

The Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez (10 Years Old) is produced using column still distillation and  barrel aging. This rum has been aged for a minimum of 10 years in the Caribbean.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez (10 Years Old)

“… The aroma is somewhat spicy as a firm dusty oak presence dominates the breezes above the glass. Vanilla and treacle unravel themselves from the dry spice followed by impressions of tobacco, marzipan and more dusty oak spice. There is also a lovely touch of baking spice (cinnamon and indications of nutmeg and allspice) and an underlying sense of bitter walnut. …”

Please enjoy the review which includes my cocktail suggestion, the Rum Old Fashioned.

Chimo!

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Review: Tanduay Superior Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 11, 2019

In 2013, Tanduay Holdings began its entry into North America by placing two new rums into the US market. At the time, Tanduay was one of the very largest Rum producers in the world. (The reason they were relatively unknown in North America is because their Asian rum is produced in the Philippines and was sold almost exclusively into Asia.) The launch featured their premium Silver, and Gold rums which I reviewed in 2013 and reassessed again earlier this year (here and here).

Tanduay Superior Rum is a more premium spirit which has been sold in my home Province of Alberta for some time now. It is produced from a blend of rums apparently aged for 12 years or more. According to the promotional materials I have been sent, the Superior Rum is meant to be meant enjoyed neat or over ice.

Here is a link to my recent re-evaluation of this premium spirit:

Review: Tanduay Superior Rum

” … The Tanduay Superior is a little dryer in the mouth than I was expecting with the light caramel sweetness I noticed on the nose taking a back seat to pungent oak spices and the lightly bitter flavours of toasted walnut and coconut. There is a gentle sweep of vanilla which runs through the rum as well …”

Please enjoy my re-evaluation of Tanduay Superior Rum. I have a ful schedule of reviews coming over the next few weeks as I catch up from my summer hiatus.

Chimo!

 

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Review: Last Straw Blackstrap Rum (Double Barreled)  

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 20, 2019

The Last Straw Distillery is Ontario’s smallest production micro-distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario (a wee bit north of Toronto) just off Highway 400 and around the corner from Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre. According to Mike Hook, the team at Last Straw Distillery come to the craft of distilling from a variety of different backgrounds, and surprisingly none have had prior experience in the beverage or alcohol business. They are self-taught, and developed their recipes in house, through research, and trial and error, without the use of outside consultants.

Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rums are some the few rums in the world actually made from blackstrap molasses rather than sweet molasses. One of the reasons there are so few is because blackstrap is much harder to work with than sweet molasses as the sugar content is lower, and the sugars are harder for the yeast to access. The tradeoff is that blackstrap molasses gives a richer, more robust flavour when it is distilled. It took the Distillery about 6 months (of experimentation) to discover a method to obtain reasonable yields out of blackstrap molasses without sacrificing flavour. The Double Barreled Blackstrap Rum is first aged in ex-bourbon barrels then finished in Last Straw’s own Darker Side barrels. The spirit is bottled at 45 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my complete review:

Review: Last Straw Blackstrap Rum (Double Barreled)  

“… The breezes above the glass are interesting. I notice firm impressions of molasses, licorice and treacle accented by fruity orange peel and banana. There is also a light funk reminiscent of Jamaican rum in the air with scents of menthol, baking spice (cinnamon, vanilla and cloves) and some wood spice presenting themselves …”

Please enjoy my review which includes two cocktail suggestions, the Zombie, and the Time Traveller.

Chimo!

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Review: Tanduay Gold Asian Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 12, 2019

Tanduay is one of the largest Rum producers in the world. (The reason they have been relatively unknown in North America is because their Asian rum is produced in the Philipines, and it sells almost exclusively into Asia.) The Tanduay invasion was launched with two premium rums (a Silver, and a Gold). The Silver Rum (reviewed here) is a blending of rums which have been aged up to 5 years and filtered to be a pale straw coloured spirit meant for mixing high-end cocktails. The Gold Rum is a blending of rums aged up to 7 years and is meant to be a spirit to be enjoyed neat or over ice, although the makers of the rum do not shy away from recommending their Gold Rum for quality cocktails as well.

Here is a link to my full review of the Tanduay Gold Asian Rum:

Review: Tanduay Gold Asian Rum

” … I sense a light honeyed brown sugar and toffee aroma rising from the glass with spicy accents that are enticing. The spiciness carries impressions of ginger, cardamom, vanilla, clean oak and orange peel. There is also a bit of an exotic flair within this spice hinting that the rum may have a few surprises for me when I taste it …”

Please enjoy my review includes a classic nineteenth century cocktail recipe for your enjoyment with Tanduay Gold Rum.

Chimo!

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